Religiosity and Social Distance from LGBTQI+ People: The Mediating Role of Gender and LGBTQI+ Conspiracy Beliefs

Homosexuality constitutes a topic of ongoing debates not only in lay, but also political and religious discourse. At the same time, conspiracy theories gain more and more popularity and narratives about the hidden gay agenda result in discriminatory behaviors against LGBTQI+ people. This study aims to test (a) the relationship between religiosity and social distance from LGBTQI+ people, and (b) the serial mediating effect of gender conspiracy beliefs and LGBTQI+ conspiracy beliefs in the aforementioned relationship.

N = 703 participants were recruited online in the UK in August 2020. Ethical approval was secured and participants provided their written consent. We measured religious attitudes, gender and homosexuality conspiracy beliefs, and social distance from LGBTQI+ people.

People higher in religiosity were more distant from LGBTQI+ people, a relationship that was serially mediated by gender and LGBTQI+ conspiracy beliefs.

Results open up the discussion for policy-making implications reflected, for example, on the need to introduce critical thinking and skills to debunk conspiracy theories even more in workplaces, schools, universities, and institutions, which are supposed to foster diversity among their members.